Sama

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Sama are a race of small humanoid insects native to the world of Arcanis, where they form one of the minor sapient races of that setting. They are even a playable race, at least in the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition version of the setting.

The sama are only found in the so-called Blessed Lands, the desertified ruins of what was once the central hub of no fewer than four of the greatest empires to reign over the world of Arcanis, and in particular they are usually found in and around the First City, though they travel to the nearby Vastwood to breed. This has led to theories that they may be a degenerate surviving strain of the issori, the insectoid race who first claimed the First City as their empire before they were wiped out in a genocidal campaign by the ssethrics, the lizardfolk of Arcanis. The sama themselves have no idea where they came from, and regard it as a waste of time and effort to consider such abstract matters.

In the First City, they are heavily concentrated amongst the various administrative and bureaucratic organizations thanks to their peculiar mental abilities and traits.

Physiology

A sama is a 2.5 to 3ft long insectoid with a centaur-like body structure; its thorax is held vertically at a near 90-degree angle from its abdomen, causing it to walk on four insectile claws whilst its uppermost limbs have developed into deft prehensile hands. The head of a sama is vaguely mantis-like, save for elaborate crests made of fluted chitinous spars and thin membranes. They sport thin chitinous exoskeletons, no tougher than human skin, and favor the use of chainmail shirts for defense. Sharp eyes and an intuitive grasp of mathematics makes them deadly accurate with light throwing or ranged weaons. They are renowned for their eidetic memories.

These insectoids start their lives as tiny herbivores feeding on foliage in the upper canopy. They live about as long as humans and mature at the same rate, spending 10 to 12 years as adolescents before they undergo their once-in-a-lifetime mating session, which is held in a specific region of the Vastwood. After coupling, females lay clutches of up to a dozen eggs in a bundle of silk and attach it high in the tree; the act of breeding causes the genitalia of the post-adolescent sama to basically break down into sterile cloaca, leaving them functionally neutered. These egg-bundles emit pheromones that cause the now-adult sama around them to enter berserk frenzies until the eggs hatch, which is nature's clumsy effort of helping the species survive. See, the local Vastwood trolls regard sama eggs as a delicacy, and in a battle of 9ft to 10ft troll and 2.5ft to 3ft sama... well, the little bug daddies to be need all the help they can get!

A sama that survives its breeding session will leave the Vastwood as soon as its eggs have hatched, never to interact with its progeny again. Now a full adult, it sets out to establish itself in life.

Psychology

Sama are one of the more fascinating races of Arcanis. During their adolescent stage, they are hyper-emotional creatures, driven by the urge to indulge every emotion and chasing madly after as much experience as they possibly can. Once they have been gelded by the act of breeding, they lose all emotional capacity, or at least almost everything of it, and become hyper-logical. Adults regard their adolescent stage with disdain, seeing it as a necessary evil they must live through in order to attain "true" sapience.

The sama have a natural affinity for so-called "Elder Sorcery", although few explore it; adult sama usually see magic as offering them nothing practical for their lives, and adolescent sama are too aggressive and impatient to normally devote the effort to studying.

5e PC Stats

Ability Score Increase: +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom

Size: Small

Type: Monstrosity

Speed: Walk 30ft, Climb 20ft

Double-Jointed: You have Advantage on ability checks made to escape grapples. You also don't suffer from disadvantage or movement penalties for squeezing through tight spaces, nor does squeezing grant your attackers advantage against you.

Elder Spellcasters: You can only take an Arcane spellcasting class or subclass that uses the Elder Tradition.

Extraordinary Mind: You have Proficiency in 2 Intelligence skills of your choice, and can perfectly recall anything you have read in the last year.

Quadruped: You have Advantage on ability checks and saves vs. being knocked prone, and move +10 feet when Dashing.

Languages/Literacy: You are Literate and can speak both Low Coryani and a bonus language of your choice, as well as additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier.